Various types of gloves have been created with unique strap configurations. In general, the design of these gloves and their associated straps are adapted for a particular activity. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,852,779 issued to Roessler on Jan. 12, 1955 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,105,972 issued to Christopher on Oct. 8, 1963 disclose gloves having elastic support straps adapted for positioning about a hand that is gripping the shaft of a golf club or other implement. The elastic support strap holds the palm and fingers of the wearer's hands against the gripped shaft to augment the force of the wearers' grip on the shaft. Small wrist straps or tabs have also been used with Velcro closures in sports and other kinds of gloves to secure the glove on the hand. See, for example, Fabry U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,684,123, issued Aug. 4, 1987 and 4,850,341, issued Jul. 25, 1989. U.S. Pat. No. 5,197,149 issued to Overton on Mar. 30, 1993 discloses an athletic glove having an elastic back strap which may be wrapped around a wearer's hand to provide support for backhand muscles.
The present invention is designed to meet the specific needs of weightlifting. Some weightlifting exercises require the lifter to press and support large amounts of weights with the backhand muscles and wrist in a flexed position. Thus, it is desirable to provide a weightlifting glove which allows the wearer limited freedom to flex his or her hands and wrists during weightlifting while at the same time providing backhand and wrist support and protection.
The glove described in the foregoing patent to Overton provides these effects to some extent, but the use of an elastic diagonal strap does not support the back of the hand as effectively as can be obtained by combining an inelastic portion for increased support and an elastic portion for tension and adjustability. Likewise, the closure system described in the Overton patent is proximate to the center of the back of the hand, which, due to flex in that area, is not as secure a closure as can be obtained by locating the closure at the wrist. The present invention addresses these drawbacks.